[3.5] New monster, Kelpie: need tips on CR

[Uncle Pine]

Hello!

The kelpie is a water horse from Celtic legends that I tried to make as a monster. While usually depicted as a black horse in the folklore, I was particularly inspired by the Berserk's version of this creature (see the image in the spoiler).


http://images.wikia.com/berserk/images/3/37/Kelpie.jpg
The kelpie as it appears in Berserk's manga.
In order to build it, I used the amalgam template from Advanced Bestiary, mixing up a heavy warhorse and a large water elemental: in particular, I chose to retain the warhorse body shape and get rid of the whole vortex thing.
The result is a Large horse-like elemental with 5 natural attack with short reach (1,5 feet), improved multiattack, a bit of damage reduction and final stike (from Savage Species).
The only problem is that I don't know what CR it should be... Do you have any suggestion?

Kelpie
Large Elemental (Water, Extraplanar)
HD: 8d8+12 (48 hp)
Iniziative: +1
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares), swim 90 ft.
AC: 16 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15
BAB/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Slam +9 melee (2d8+4)
Full Attack: 2 slams +9 melee (2d8+4), 2 hooves +9 melee (1d6+2) e bite +9 melee (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
SA: Water mastery, drench
SQ: DR 5/-, darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +3
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 9
Skills: Listen +12, Spot +12
Feats: Final Strike, Multiattack, Improved Multiattack
Environment: Elemental Plane of Water
Organization: Solitary
CR: ?
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 9-15 HD (Large); 16-24 HD (Huge)
LA: -

Skills: +8 racial bonus on Swim
Final Strike: on death, explodes in a blast of water that deals 8d6 bludgeoning damages within 60 feet. Each creature in the area may make a succesful Reflex save (DC 18) to halve the damage dealt. It also extinguish nonmagical fire automatically, or magical fire as dispel magic cast by a level 8th sorcerer.

[Waker]

Greeting's Uncle Pine. Though there is absolutely nothing wrong with writing up your own monster, there is a Kelpie in Fiend Folio, pg 114. The one statted up there is a CR 10.

[Duke of URL]

On the whole, it looks very similar to, though in most respect slightly weaker than, a large water elemental, which is CR 5. I'd think CR 4 or CR 5, leaning toward CR 5 -- the slightly weaker features are offset by having more optimal than normal feat choices.

[Uncle Pine]

I edited the kelpie's saves because at the beginning I forgot to add abilities' bonuses.


Greeting's Uncle Pine. Though there is absolutely nothing wrong with writing up your own monster, there is a Kelpie in Fiend Folio, pg 114. The one statted up there is a CR 10.
Woops... I actually don't have the Fiend Folio, but this will teach me to search on the net before trying to create a new monster :smallwink:


On the whole, it looks very similar to, though in most respect slightly weaker than, a large water elemental, which is CR 5. I'd think CR 4 or CR 5, leaning toward CR 5 -- the slightly weaker features are offset by having more optimal than normal feat choices.
Well, it's actually a bit weaker than a large water elemental, but I would say that the final strike could deal really good damage to any 4th level character, maybe too much considering that 28 damages (the average damage of the final strike) could halve the hit points of many 4th level barbarians, making this monster a good CR 5.